[High Ice Spirit Seira has used Frost Storm.]

[High Ice Spirit Seira has used Frost Storm.]

[High Ice Spirit Seira has used Frost Storm.]

[An AoE skill is spreading throughout the 9th floor.]

An arctic blast slammed into them, covering the entire ninth floor. The cold was so intense it felt like it was freezing them from the bone out, their breath turning to thick plumes of vapor as their bodies began to lock up.

[A bitter chill seeps into your body.]

[Physical abilities are temporarily decreased.]

[Movement begins to slow.]

[A bitter chill seeps into your soldiers' bodies.]

[Your soldiers' physical abilities are temporarily decreased.]

[Your soldiers' movement begins to slow.]

[Your soldiers' vitality is decreasing.]

[The risk of disease for you and your soldiers is increasing.]

The debuffs from the entrance reappeared, now compounded by the risk of frostbite.

"Ugh! Riel, use Party Heal until you're out of mana! Target ten shieldbearers at a time, in sequence!" Taehyun yelled, his own body stiffening under the effects of Sublime Will.

"I understand!" Riel's teeth chattered, but she began casting Party Heal relentlessly, even as the cold seeped into her very bones. Her mana drained rapidly, but the force of the triple-stacked storm began to wane.

"Kiek! My movements are sluggish, yes, they are!"

"Chwik! Cold! I've never felt so cold in my life!"

"Gahh! My skin is going to be ruined!"

The soldiers behind the shield wall were barely hanging on. Seeing their bodies start to encase in ice, Taehyun roared at Mandra.

"Mandra! Wall of fire around the shieldbearers!"

"Why should I!" she shot back.

"Mederia!"

At the sound of her name, Mederia's eyes narrowed dangerously. Mandra scowled but complied, conjuring four walls of flame that formed a protective ring around the main force.

[B-rank Named soldier Mandra's wall of fire blocks the cold.]

[The cold begins to dissipate.]

[The previously applied debuffs are gradually disappearing.]

A wave of warmth pushed back the killing frost. The three High Ice Spirits, displeased, began launching a volley of crystal swords.

"Mederia, focus on the swords!"

"Yes, I understand!" With incredible accuracy, Mederia's magic bullets intercepted the projectiles, causing them to explode harmlessly in mid-air. The few that slipped past were weakened by the wall of fire, their impact negligible.

[High Ice Spirit Seira's Frost Storm has ended.]

[High Ice Spirit Seira's Frost Storm has ended.]

[High Ice Spirit Seira's Frost Storm has ended.]

[The Frost Storm that enveloped the 9th floor disappears.]

Finally, the overlapping storms ended. The debuffs lingered, but they were now able to fight back. Taehyun activated his command skill, sending his shieldbearers advancing in two lines.

"Aaaaaargh!" a troll roared.

"Hmph. You mere trolls. Where do you think you're crawling!" one of the Seiras shrieked, launching a Crystal Cutter. Taehyun had his imps counter with Flame Spears, reducing the attack's power and minimizing the damage to his shieldbearers' shields.

"Damn spirits!" Grai bellowed. He and the melee troops burst through the gaps in the shield wall, creating chaos and confusing the Seiras' targeting.

"G-get away!"

"Not a chance." Grai was already among them, his Fire Dragon and Ice Dragon Swords a blur of deadly motion.

"Mages, Spirit Masters, archers, focus fire on the crystal swords!" Taehyun commanded, maintaining a constant barrage to intercept the spirits' ranged attacks.

"Moo. As expected, High Ice Spirits are ugly," a minotaur grunted.

"Grr! How dare a cow-head judge my appearance?!" a Seira screeched, turning its attention to him.

"Moo. Ugly. Moo!" the second minotaur chimed in, successfully taunting another spirit.

With the Seiras distracted, the Evil Goblins swarmed in, closing the distance in an instant. The rest of the melee troops followed, and soon, the spirits were overwhelmed.

"Agh! How infuriating!"

"I'll never forgive you! I'll curse you for all eternity!"

"Was I really that ugly?!"

[The High Ice Spirits, the Seiras, have returned to the embrace of nature.]

[You have cleared the 9th floor of the Ice Palace.]

[You have received 750,000 Zen as a reward.]

[Experience for Balak's soldiers will increase by 3000.]

[Balak's soldiers have been promoted to elite soldiers.]

A cascade of messages flooded his vision. His forces had finally gained enough combat experience to earn a promotion. Taehyun reviewed the new special abilities for each class.

[Shield Soldier: Automatic Shield Durability Recovery]

[Mage: Mobile Casting]

[Archer: Breath Holding]

[Warrior: Indomitable Warrior's Spirit]

[Spirit User: Spirit's Protection]

[Thief: Stealth]

Each class had acquired an impressive new ability. The Shield Soldiers could now automatically restore the durability of their damaged shields. The Mages gained Mobile Casting, allowing them to cast spells while on the move, though a note specified that at their current low level, this was limited to a walking pace. The Archers' Breath Holding let them steady their breathing for long-range shots, pushing their accuracy to its absolute limit.

The Warriors' Indomitable Warrior's Spirit granted them a temporary strength buff that scaled with the number of enemies they defeated. The Spirit Users received Spirit's Protection, a barrier that would automatically deploy to shield them in dire situations. Finally, the Thieves' Stealth ability allowed them to turn invisible for ten seconds, once per day, though another note warned that their low level made them vulnerable to detection by mages or raiders.

'These are all solid abilities,' Taehyun mused. 'I half-expected the Shield Soldiers to get a taunt skill like those two mad cows, but this is good, too. And a thief's stealth… this could be incredibly useful.'

The stealth ability seemed versatile. The once-a-day limit was a drawback, but outside of these ruins, it would undoubtedly prove its worth.

"Ssshk. The indomitable warrior calls to me," a warrior hissed.

"Kieek. I… I can't breathe," an archer gasped.

"Look at this! I can cast magic while walking!" a mage exclaimed.

Balak's soldiers were all marveling at their newfound powers. Taehyun turned his attention to the items and equipment the Seiras had dropped.

[C-rank Mana Stone × 210]

[B-rank Mana Stone × 6]

[C-rank Spirit Stone Fragment × 50]

[Seira's Crystal Sword]

[Seira's Baton]

[Seira's Frost Crystal Armor]

[Traces of Intense Frost × 6]

[800,000 Zen]

The haul was substantial. The only issue was the growing pile of Crystal Swords—he now had three—but the rest of the loot was excellent. The long baton, in particular, was an item exclusively for Commanders.

[Seira's Baton]

[Rank: B]

[Requirement: Level 40 or higher, Commander or Commandant-type class]

[Description: A rare-grade item, Seira's Baton. This baton, crafted by Seira herself, increases the wielder's Affinity during battle.]

'A Affinity boost in combat is a powerful effect,' he thought. 'But am I even B-rank yet?'

His level was well past 40, but he was unsure of his rank. Taehyun pulled up his own status window.

[Name: Taehyun Yoo]

[Age: 22]

[Nationality: Republic of Korea]

[Level: 41]

[Rank: C]

[Class: Commander]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Dungeon Master]

[Guild: None]

[Strength: 2] [Endurance: 2] [Agility: 3] [Stamina: 3]

[Mana: 2] [Affinity: 12] [Luck: 8]

His stats had changed significantly, but his rank was still C, tied to that of his dungeon.

'I guess I really have to upgrade the dungeon.'

Taehyun sighed, storing the baton in his inventory. Like the Crystal Swords, it was a piece of equipment he would have to save for later.

"Here," he said, tossing the armor. "You take this."

"Groooar!" the Troll bellowed.

"Are you happy or angry? I can never tell with you." Seira's Frost Crystal Armor went to the Troll. As the only B-rank unit dedicated to shielding, the Troll would make good use of it.

"Moo! I'm jealous! Do we get nothing? Moo!" one of the Minotaurs complained.

"You get nothing," Taehyun retorted flatly. "Why would I reward the lunatics who go berserk in every single battle?"

"That's so mean! Moo!"

Taehyun deliberately ignored the two Minotaurs and began preparations for their final camp.

"We are now facing the final floor," Riel noted, her voice calm.

"Right," Taehyun agreed. "It's Normal difficulty, so we should expect something much stronger than last time. Let's rest up before we head in."

"Understood." Riel nodded and began helping the soldiers set up camp.

Taehyun gazed at the stairs leading to the next level, Larkan's words echoing in his mind. 'No, wait. You'll just come back even if I chase you away. I'll give you a chance instead. The aura in this palace has grown stronger; it seems you've reached the next stage. If you can clear the tenth floor of this stage, I will grant you a conversation.'

It was likely a bluff to get rid of him, a challenge Larkan was certain he couldn't meet. The prince was probably hoping to use his inevitable failure as an excuse to be left alone for good.

'But what was that look in his eyes?'

Back in that prison cell, Larkan's gaze had been a storm of conflicting emotions: lingering attachment, regret, nostalgia, disappointment. It made Taehyun wonder why the prince of a fallen kingdom was imprisoned here, and how he had fallen under Yuslan's curse.

'Still, prying into the past is a dangerous game. Plenty of people on this continent are content to let their histories die.' He was suddenly reminded of the report on Rexner's tragic past from Kinjo. It was a sad story, but Taehyun felt no particular interest. He didn't have the luxury of listening to anyone else's sob story.

"Master Taehyun, the camp is ready," Riel announced.

"Kieek! We've prepared a special spot just for you, Master Taehyun!" a goblin shrieked.

"Ssshk. Ssshk. Hungry," an orc grunted.

Lost in thought, he hadn't noticed they'd finished. Taehyun shook off his thoughts and walked toward his soldiers.

---

Day 3.

[You have reached the 10th floor of Yuslan's Ice Palace.]

[You have discovered the source of the Ice Palace: the Frost Jade.]

Taehyun and the soldiers of Balak had finally reached the tenth floor on Normal difficulty. Before them lay the Frost Jade and a throne, the room's layout identical to the last time.

'The boss will appear the moment I approach the Frost Jade.'

They were well-rested from their camp. Without hesitation, Taehyun strode toward the Frost Jade. Instantly, a fierce blizzard erupted, and the jade pulsed with a brilliant light. So far, it was exactly the same as the previous difficulty. But this time, a different entity materialized.

[The last remaining Keeper of Yuslan's Ice Palace, 'Pelsidium', has been summoned.]

[Due to the fierce blizzard, the movements of all Balak soldiers are slowed.]

"It has been a while since I've seen an intruder," a chilling voice echoed.

It was the B-rank Hero Keeper, Pelsidium.

---

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